THRIVING
CIVIC CLUBS
Brad Schields of Goodland tells a similar story with Kiwanis there. He witnessed the Goodland Kiwanis dwindle to 21 members and then begin to turn around with the inception of the flag project, borrowed from the Elkhart Kiwanis. By 2006-07, Goodland Kiwanis had 52 members. Today, there are 81 members. In addition, Goodland’s Rotary and Lions clubs have grown during this time, too. “You have to find a need and want for your community,” said Schields, who is the outgoing governor for Kansas Kiwanis.“In smaller areas are our more vibrant clubs. In smaller communities we’re used to doing it ourselves and don’t depend on anybody else to do it.” Schields firmly believes that service projects are critical for engaging members in civic organizations. It can’t just be about having weekly meetings – there has to be action, he said. Hammond also attributes flexibility on behalf of the Kiwanis organization for clubs’ longevity. There are some Internet clubs being started, as well as 3-2-1 clubs, which instead of having a weekly meeting, ask members to do three hours of service, two hours of social and one hour of business meeting per month.
Rotary in Eastern Kansas
about serving as a resource and trainer for individual clubs as opposed to a top-down organization. Tubbesing, 43, acknowledges that he is younger than the average Rotarian. To him, the draw was a chance to serve, as well as an opportunity to demonstrate that his generation is highly engaged. The former Army special operations officer was also drawn to the Rotary Foundation’s work around the world in peace discussions and conflict resolution. “If you give more to Rotary than you get out of it, then you’re in it for the right reason,” Tubbesing said. “It really is a decade-long or lifetime commitment.” Rotary relies on personal networking for recruitment. Tubbesing also says the organization is decentralized to allow individual clubs to find their own passions. He says it is important for clubs to attract young members in the ways that interest them. “Generation Y is extremely service-oriented,” he said. “To some extent it also means turning over the leadership of your club to the younger generation.”
A 20-something’s Perspective
Kevin Tubbesing of Shawnee leads Eastern Kansas Rotary, which has 2,680 Rotarians. He takes pride in the fact that although Rotary has experienced a shrinking membership in North America, the Eastern Kansas District has actually grown over the last 10 years.
The rise social media has helped redefine the concept of community. Those broadened options may mean that a traditional civic service club model doesn’t work for some.
Tubbesing attributes that to continuity of leadership. He also said Rotary in eastern Kansas has moved away from the old model of “grand dictatorship” into collaborative leadership. Now, he said, it is more
Yet Anne Chandler of Wichita is a 20-something who does see the benefits in traditional civic engagement. In fact, she places such importance on it that she is active in three civic organizations, Junior League of Wichita, Rotary Club of Wichita and Young Professionals of Wichita.
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